Nikon Electronic Format
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Main Page > Documentation > Format-specific preservation issues > Nikon Electronic Format
Also known as
- NEF
- Nikon Image Format
- Nikon Digital SLR Camera Raw Image File
File extension(s)
.nef
Format Registry Information
Preservation Action Plan
- Possible normalization to Adobe Digital Negative (DNG) format
- Library of Congress states that Adobe Digital Negative (DNG), Version 1.1 may be emerging as a standard preservation format for raw camera images. Adobe provides a free (but not open-source) Adobe DNG Converter designed for downloading to Windows or Mac computers.
Preservation Issues
- Xena incorrectly guesses the file type as TIFF and normalizes as it would a TIFF, with the result that a very large file (e.g. 70 MB) is normalized to a very small one (eg. 250 KB) with considerable loss of data. Xena also removes embedded data added during image editing, converting the data to a separate XMP file. This means that any edits added by the creator are removed.
- NEF is a proprietary format with an unpublished specification.
- NEF files can be very large - 70 MB or more.
- PRONOM provides only outline information for NEF files: see PRONOM: Nikon Digital SLR Camera Raw Image File.
More information
- NEF is a raw (i.e. pre-processed) image format produced by Nikon cameras.
- Much more detailed information on NEF files is available at Library of Congress Sustainability of Digital Formats: Camera Raw Formats.